Magahi Folk Songs: Kaleidoscope of Life

Abstract

One of the hallmarks of contemporary literary discourse, the world over, has been the spreading out of its ambit to become virtually all inclusive breaking the boundary of language, culture and discipline. It is no longer English Literature as it used to be; it has evolved itself as interdisciplinary, inter lingual, multicultural or even transcultural discipline that has realized the value of social sciences, pure sciences and applied sciences in the discourse of literature. What Coleridge had initiated by including philosophy, aesthetics and psychology in literary criticism is reaching its fruition. It is this width, variety, inclusiveness and open- ended nature that characterizes English Literature in the twenty first century. It has become mature and strong enough to overcome all inhibitions and taboos of linguistic registers, themes, forms and techniques. On the one hand we are going back to tribal literature and on the other we are moving forward with hypertext and technoculture. It is a remarkably healthy emerging trend that critics, academia and literati are trying to rediscover dalit literature, tribal literature and folk literature and to prioritize them. This has inspired us to take time off and look into our own roots and understand our own original native literature. It is in this context that I am trying to introduce here Magahi folk songs which are still vibrantly in vogue, may be with variations and alterations, in most of the religious and social ceremonies held in Magadh region.